Modular portable skating rink

ABSTRACT

A modular portable skating rink or wading pool having preformed side elements and clamping means to secure a plastic liner material in place to the sides. In the preferred embodiment the clamp is maintained in place partially by the pressure of the water or ice within the structure.

United States Patent De Santo Mar. 19, 1974 [5 MODULAR PORTABLE SKATING RINK 2.886,828 5/1959 Lattuca 4/172 2,996,896 8/1961 Johnson... 4/177 X [75] Inventor: De San, Readmgi Mass- 3.012.596 12/1961 Skolout 4/17 x [73] Assignee: DeSanto, Dulong and Welsh, 25 etlalm Z/ f 1 C warz et a t Burlmgton Mass 3,639,921 2/1972 Siler 4/172.11 [22] Filed: Nov. 9, 1972 21 APPL N 305,137 Primary ExaminerHenry K. Artis [52] US. Cl 4/172.19, 4/172. 4/177 [57] ABSTRACT 22: 5: gfi fg T; A modular portable skating rink or wading pool hav- 21 ing preformed side elements and clamping means to secure a plastic liner material in place to the sides. In [56] References Cited the preferred embodiment the clamp is maintained in place partially by the pressure of the water or ice UNITED STATES PATENTS within the Structure. 2.807.026 9/l957 Muskin et al. 4/177 2,869,140 1/1959 Wiedemann, Jr 11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures 1 MODULAR PORTABLE SKATING RINK FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates in general to skating rinks and more particularly concerns a novel modular structure for a skating rink or wading pool which may be easily assembled from modular elements for seasonal use.

DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART Backyard skating rinks and wading pools are quite popular, but most of the structures previously available are either very small, are of limited durability or are very inconvenient to install or construct. Very few of them may properly be termed either portable or modular. While the present structure is applicable to both rinks and pools, for purposes of simplicity it will be referred to herein as a skating rink. It is, of course, recognized that a rink that depends upon nature for freezing will often be filled with water instead of ice.

A skating rink for use during the winter is normally assembled in the autumn and can be relatively complicated and time-consuming project. It is sometimes made with stakes inserted into the ground, with boards or plywood sheets attached to the stakes to define the boundaries of the rink. A plastic liner is then used to cover the ground and is attached to the sides in some appropriate manner. Attempts have been made to simplify the construction process by providing formed or partially formed structural elements which may be connected together to form the rink. Certain of these structures employ snaps or clamps which fit over the wall of the rink to hold the plastic in place. Another previous device uses wooden rails having grooves along the inside surfaces and plugs are formed to fit into the grooves to hold the plastic liner in place. The prior art is evidenced by issued US Pat. Nos. 2,907,362, 2,996,896, 3,012,596 and 3,639,921. Most of these devices cannot properly be termed portable in that they are not easily set up and taken down.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is a truly portable and modular skating rink or wading pool having preformed modular semirigid sides with preformed semi-rigid clamping elements for enhacing the rigidity of the wall while at the same time positively maintaining the plastic liner in place. The sides of the rink will normally be anchored to the ground by suitable means such as by wooden, metal or plastic pegs, and the adjacent side elements are joined by the clamping elements. Alternatively, bridging clamps may be used to join adjacent sections of the side structure.

Several alternative embodiments are disclosed which also add rigidity to the walls while at the same time positively holding the plastic liner in place.

The invention disclosed herein may properly be called a modular structure in that any number of the modular side elements may be attached together to form any practical size rink. Similar elements may be packaged together in kits so that a person may buy a small, medium or large rink, depending upon the number of modular elements in the kit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The advantages and features of this invention will be readily apparent from the detailed description when square corners and bridging clamps for interconnecting adjacent side elements; and

FIGS. 5 7 show alternative embodiments of the side elements and clamping devices for securing the plastic liner tothe sides and for coupling adjacent side elements together.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS With reference now to the drawing and more particularly to FIGS. 1 3 thereof, there is shown a skating rink 11 having modular elongated straight side elements 12 and curved corner side elements 13. FIG. 2 shows the cross-sectional configuration of the side elements wherein there are two main sloping walls 14 and 15, each preferably having horizontal bottom flanges 16 and 17 respectively. Either or both of the flanges may be formed with holes so that pegs or pins 21 may be used to anchor the side elements to the ground. These pegs may be made of appropriate material such as plastic, wood or metal as desired. It is possible that flange 16 may be omitted if desired.

Main inner wall 14 terminates short of the top of the modular side structure and is substantially parallel but spaced from shorter inner wall element 22 which connects top 23 of the side structure to inner wall 14 at a point 24 below the top of the inner wall. This forms a slot 25 between walls 14 and 22. Top 23 connects the upper ends of wall element 22 with the top of outer wall 15. Clamping member 26, which is shown in detail in FIG. 3 has a flat main side 27 and a curved side28 which is doubled back upon flat side 27 forming loop 31 at the top, somewhat similar in cross section to a shephards crook. The curved side 28 acts as a'leaf spring when in slot 25. This clamping member is preferably the same length as side element 12 or an integral fraction of that length.

When the rink is assembled, side wall elements 12 and 13 are positioned on and anchored to the ground to form the external dimensions of the structure. A plastic liner, preferably a relatively heavy polyethylene material, is then placed within the rink in a position to cover the bottom and extend approximately the full height of the interior walls of the side elements. Clamps 26 are than placed as shown in FIG. 2 to clamp the plastic liner over the top portion 33 of the inner wall 14 in such a manner that the edge of the plastic liner 32 essentially wraps around curved portion 28 of the clamp and extends at least partially along the inner surface of short wall 22 toward the top of the side element.

The clamps are preferably attached to'the walls such that they overlap the joints between adjacent side elements. The clamps thereby help to maintain the continuity of the sides and enhance the rigidity thereof.

When it is desired to form the ice surface, the rink is flooded with water to a level which substantially overlaps the bottom edge 35 of clamp 26. The water level must be of sufficient height to form the desired smooth ice surface over what may be relatively uneven ground. The water pressure acts upon the lower end of clamp 26 thereby-pressing it tightly against wall 14 and enhancing the overall strength of the structure The upper exposed portion of clamp 26 will add protection to the side elements, protecting them from damage which might otherwise be caused when contact is made with the sides by the skaters using the rink. It may be seen that with this structure, the ice or water level is easily maintained and the structure retains its rigidity and form throughout the seasonal months of its use. If the structure is to be used as a wading pool, the water will act on clamps 26 in the same manner as the ice so that the pool also maintains its shape and rigidity. Clamps 26 may be made sufficiently flexible to conform to the shape of corner elements 13 or they may be preformed to fit such corners.

FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment wherein special rounded corner side elements 13 are not required and straight side elements 12 may be cut at 45 angles and formed with appropriate holes to receive the pins 36 of bridging clamps 37. These clamps are used to secure together adjacent side elements 12, both along the sides and at the corners. Otherwise, the structure of FIG. 4 is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 3.

An alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. for interconnecting the side elements together and clamping the plastic liner to the sides. Side 41 is formed with two substantially identical sloping walls 42 and 43 which are secured together at the top by member 434 having slot 45 therein. Clamp 46 is formed with a broad flat side 47 and shorter side 48 extending downward from the tip to fit within groove 45. The plastic liner is brought up over the top of side 41 and is forced into groove 45 by side 48 of clamp 46. The structure otherwise has the same feature as that previously described.

FIG. 6 is a further alternative embodiment wherein side 51 has two sloping walls 52 and 53, with a relatively flat top 54 joining them to member 55 having slot 56 therein. An elongated T-shaped clamp 57 having stem 58 is adapted to wedge the top of the plastic liner into slot 56 in a manner similar to that shown in FIG.

Another alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 7 wherein side 61 is a unitary structure having walls 62 and 63' joined by rounded member 64. The transitions between flat sides 62 and 63 and rounded member 64 are concave portions 65 and 66 respectively. Clamp 67 is formed with broad flat side 68, rounded top 71 and concave connecting side portion 72 therebetween. Rounded top 71 has at least a semicircular crosssection so that the edge 73 extends into concavity 66 in side 63, while concave portion 72 extends into concavity 65 in side 62. Again, the plastic liner is brought up over the top of the side 61 and positively secured in position by means of clamp 67. The other features of this clamp are as described previously for the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 5.

It should be noted that most of the elements of this structure may be extruded in indefinite lengths and cut as desired to, be assembled into a kit for sale. Rounded comers 13 would normally be individually formed.

From the above description it will be evident to one skilled in this art that many other alternative embodiments are" possible which would come within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A portable skating rink comprising:

a plurality of side elements of modular length positioned to form an enclosure, said side elements having upwardly sloping inner and outer walls and means for connecting the tops of said inner and outer walls together;

a thin flexible liner covering the bottom of said enclosure and extending up the sides of said enclosure; and

a plurality of elongated clamping members of modular length adapted to secure the edges of said liner to said side elements, said clamping members adding to the rigidity of said enclosure structure, said clamping members being configured to closely conform with a portion of said side elements in the vicinity of the top thereof, said liner being securely held between said side elements and said clamping members.

2. The skating rink recited in claim 1 wherein:

each of said side elements is formed with a slot in the vicinity of the top thereof;

each of saidclamping members is-formed with a generally downwardly extending portion adapted to fit within said slot;

said generally downwardly extending portion of said clamping member engaging said liner adjacent the edge thereof and securing said liner to said side element by forcing said liner into said slot.

3. The skating rink recited in claim 2 wherein said side elements are formed with laterally outwardly extending flanges at the bottom of said inner and outer walls, said flanges having holes therethrough for securing said wall elements to the ground.

4. The skating rink recited in claim 2 wherein:

said inner wall is formed of a bottom portion extending to a point below the top of said side element and a top portion parallel to but spaced from said bottom portion, said top portion connecting the top of said side element to said bottom portion at a point spaced from the top edge thereof, said top and bottom inner wall portions thereby forming said slot.

5. The skating rink recited in claim 4 wherein:

said clamping member is formed with a flat side and a curved side spaced from and substantially parallel to said fiat side, said curved side extends into and bears against the sides of said slot, said flat side extends down the side of said bottom portion of said inner wall; 7

whereby said liner is secured to said side elements and said flat side is held against said inner wall by the water orice within said enclosure.

6. The skating rink recited in claim 2 wherein said means for connecting together'said inner and outer walls is formed with an elongated slot extending the length of said side element at the tops of said inner and outer walls. a

7. The skating rink recited in claim 6 wherein:

said clamping means is formed with a short side extending into said slot to secure said liner to said side element, and a longer side extending down the side of said inner wall; I

whereby said longer side is held against said inner wall bythe water or ice within said enclosure, said clamping means further acting to reinforce said side elements and protect them from damage.

8. The skating rink recited in claim 6 wherein said clamping means has a T-shaped cross section wherein the stern thereof extends into said slot to secure said liner to said side element.

9. The skating rink recited in claim 1 wherein:

said means for connecting said inner and outer walls together is a rounded member, the transition between said walls and said connecting means being an indented surface;

said clamping means being formed to fit over said connecting means and into said indented transitional surface, said clamping means having a flat side extending down the side of said inner wall.

10. The skating rink recited in claim 1 wherein adjacent ones of said side elements are interconnected by said clamping members; said clamping members being mounted to overlap the joints between adjacent side elements.

11. The skating rink recited in claim 1 and further comprising:

bridging clamps adapted to secure together adjacent side elements;

said side elements being formed with holes therein near their ends;

said bridging clamps having pins to fit within the holes in two adjacent side elements. 

1. A portable skating rink comprising: a plurality of side elements of modular length positioned to form an enclosure, said side elements having upwardly sloping inner and outer walls and means for connecting the tops of said inner and outer walls together; a thin flexible liner covering the bottom of said enclosure and extending up the sides of said enclosure; and a plurality of elongated clamping members of modular length adapted to secure the edges of said liner to said side elements, said clamping members adding to the rigidity of said enclosure structure, said clamping members being configured to closely conform with a portion of said side elements in the vicinity of the top thereof, said liner being securely held between said side elements and said clamping members.
 2. The skating rink recited in claim 1 wherein: each of said side elements is formed with a slot in the vicinity of the top thereof; each of said clamping members is formed with a generally downwardly extending portion adapted to fit within said slot; said generally downWardly extending portion of said clamping member engaging said liner adjacent the edge thereof and securing said liner to said side element by forcing said liner into said slot.
 3. The skating rink recited in claim 2 wherein said side elements are formed with laterally outwardly extending flanges at the bottom of said inner and outer walls, said flanges having holes therethrough for securing said wall elements to the ground.
 4. The skating rink recited in claim 2 wherein: said inner wall is formed of a bottom portion extending to a point below the top of said side element and a top portion parallel to but spaced from said bottom portion, said top portion connecting the top of said side element to said bottom portion at a point spaced from the top edge thereof, said top and bottom inner wall portions thereby forming said slot.
 5. The skating rink recited in claim 4 wherein: said clamping member is formed with a flat side and a curved side spaced from and substantially parallel to said flat side, said curved side extends into and bears against the sides of said slot, said flat side extends down the side of said bottom portion of said inner wall; whereby said liner is secured to said side elements and said flat side is held against said inner wall by the water or ice within said enclosure.
 6. The skating rink recited in claim 2 wherein said means for connecting together said inner and outer walls is formed with an elongated slot extending the length of said side element at the tops of said inner and outer walls.
 7. The skating rink recited in claim 6 wherein: said clamping means is formed with a short side extending into said slot to secure said liner to said side element, and a longer side extending down the side of said inner wall; whereby said longer side is held against said inner wall by the water or ice within said enclosure, said clamping means further acting to reinforce said side elements and protect them from damage.
 8. The skating rink recited in claim 6 wherein said clamping means has a T-shaped cross section wherein the stem thereof extends into said slot to secure said liner to said side element.
 9. The skating rink recited in claim 1 wherein: said means for connecting said inner and outer walls together is a rounded member, the transition between said walls and said connecting means being an indented surface; said clamping means being formed to fit over said connecting means and into said indented transitional surface, said clamping means having a flat side extending down the side of said inner wall.
 10. The skating rink recited in claim 1 wherein adjacent ones of said side elements are interconnected by said clamping members, said clamping members being mounted to overlap the joints between adjacent side elements.
 11. The skating rink recited in claim 1 and further comprising: bridging clamps adapted to secure together adjacent side elements; said side elements being formed with holes therein near their ends; said bridging clamps having pins to fit within the holes in two adjacent side elements. 